INTERNATIONAL It was implied that all semitechnical or pilot plant work could not be avoided, but that in general it admits a lack of fundamental technical knowl edge. In reply to the second question, it was indicated that tins, in general, would never be sound practice. Ad mittedly, there are occasions when it is discreet to build specific units on pilot plant scale along with construc tion o f commercial plant, Holroyd said. Mode! Courses. After a full day's program devoted to subject of model
courses o f study leading to primary de gree in chemical engineering, J. C. Vlugter, Shell Nederland, summed up the papesrs by stating that it was next to impossible to prescribe a model course. Germany and Britain differ markedly in opinions of model courses, as do other cour-rnes, and the most desirable curriculum even varies from university to university. T. C. Fox, Cambridge, stated there is a danger i n traditional courses—they are likely/ to result in training men to
CHEMICAL
SARGENT OSCILLOMETER
HE Model V Chemical Oscillometer, designed and manufactured by Ε. Η. Sargent & Co., is especially recommended to analysts for development of improved procedures within their laboratories. Pioneer oscillometric research to date indicates two general fields especially susceptible to great gains in analytical efficiency — the measurement o f water in fluid com mercial products, and the direct measurement of composition of two and three-component mixtures. Based on the measurements of electrical properties at radio frequency, without conductive contact "with the sample, this precision instrument is of the null balance type in which the dielectric and. resistive contributions made t o the circuit by the sample are measured as die equivalent increments of calibrated capacitance required to compensate thtose effects. A multi-turn dial and five range multiplier switches provide a scale of 32,000 units, in which measurements of the dielectric and conductive properties o f all materials from air to concentrated strong electrolytes including all organic liquids are accommodated. The scale may b e made linear with respect to dielectric constant by the accessory use of S-29196 range expander, and continuous recordings may be made with commercial recorders, using S-29198 recorder adapter. Two sample cells with two corresponding interchangeable cell holders are supplied — one suitable for small β samples, thte other containing sufficient volume to accommodate usual titration procedures, S-29IS0 OSCILLOMETER—Chemical, Null Balance Precision Type, Model V , Sargent. For operation from 115 volt, êo cycle A.C. circuits $650.00 S-29196 OSCILLOMETRIC CELL COMPENS^TOR—Linearizing, Sensitivity Increasing, Sargent. With coupling $80.00 S-29198 OSCILLOMETRIC RECORDING ADAPTER—Zero and Sensitivity Adjusting, Sargent. With couplings for connection to oscillometer and recorder $90.00
T
understand today's practices rather than tomorrow's. H e believes too many technological courses are too broad rather than too narrow. The student's time should b e devoted to core subjects of chemical engineering. In general, the paper of German speakers advocated the traditional line between the chemist and engineer, and those from England and other European countries favored courses developing the chemical engineer. Karl Schoenemann, Institution for Chemical Technology, Darmstadt, seemed to bridge the gap between student training and development of the chiemical industry through stressing of mechanical engineering on the one hand and pure chemistry on the other. His opinion is that the traditionally trained chemist and the technologically trained mechanical engineer, even when closely cooperating, no longer fully cope with the new and special demands arising from the structure changes in the chemical industry. At Darmstadt, an introductory course in chemical engineering has been combined with the established curriculum of the chemist. It includes study of unit processes and operations, technical and economic relationships, and productivity, with great emphasis on the latter. Experience with the course has been very satisfactory, according to Schoenemann. He emphasized, however, that an integrated education such as in the U. S. would involve an intolerable burden and the present course is a compromise with the American standard.
Iraq Produces Date Sugar
Iraq will soon begin manufacture of sugar from dates as a result of experiments carried out under a U N E S C O program by a Swiss scientist. Development of this industry will save the country some $16 million annually formerly spent for imported sugar. Dates have constituted the principal food for the people of the region and for desert dwellers generally i n Asia and Africa. Iraq has about 169 varieties and produces about 80% of the world's dates. In a good year, 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 tons of the fruit may be harvested. In such years, date prices fall so l o w that it doesn't even pay to move the fruit to market. In Basrah a ton of dates can be bought for $11.20. Herman Mohler, head of the UNESCO team of scientists s e n t to Baghdad in 1951, found that thousands SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS «· APPARATUS · SUPPLIES · CHEMICALS of tons of dates were being allowed to E. H. SARGENT & COMPANY, 4647 W . FOSTER AVE., CHICAGO SO, ILLINOIS rot for want of a market; he knew that MICHIGAN DIVISION, 1959 EAST JEFFERSON STREET, DETROIT 7. MICHIGAN more than 80,000 tons of sugar were SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION, 5915 PEELER STREET, DALLAS 19, TEXAS being imported a year (for $ 1 9 6 to SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION, 3125 SEVE1NTH AVE., N., BIRMINGHAM 4, ALA.
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